Chocolate and gestational diabetes should not be mentioned in the same sentence.

I have or shall I say 'had' a phobia of needles. So when my obstetrician breaks it to me the day before Good Friday (of all days), that I have gestational diabetes and need to get this under control or else I will need insulin shots, I felt sick in the stomach. I started to feel clammy and I suddenly had flashbacks to my uni days.

When I was a student teacher many years ago, I remember one occasion when I was standing against the wall at the school assembly early Monday morning ' my first day at this school, standing proud to be a grade 6 student teacher'. I wanted to make an impression and that I certainly did.

The assembly was nearly finished with the principal reeling off the important memos for the week. When the last important notice was a reminder that all grade 6 girls were to have their rubella needles the next day, well that was it for me. My legs became heavy, unable to hold me up, I felt dizzy, the room was spinning and then THUD. I not only slid down the wall but I also managed to fall and squash some poor innocent child. I woke up on the floor with several faces staring down at me. I was hot, clamy, numb and embarressed. I just wanted to crawl into a big hole.

The poor girl was rescued beneath me and I was told to go home and get some rest oh and "you may want to go to the library when the grade 6's get their needles!". Let's just say, that I had made a lasting impression on that school.

So being told that I may have to give myself needles several times daily,did not go down well.  I am a self confessed 'chocoholic' , I could eat a block of chocolate or a pack of M&M's in one go and not feel guilty. This had to change and fast.

I am somehow managing to check my sugar count 4 times a day by giving myself a prick. Believe me, this is very hard, I flinch every time but I know that it is temporary (I hope so).

I have found and tried some great recipes and some not so great. Still nothing compares to eating chocolate so for all of you chocolate lovers, think of me when you take a bite and enjoy every moment.